"I would love to fight Volkanovski or Holloway" - Bellator phenom Patricio Pitbull wants a cross-promotion bout with UFC stars
Patricio Pitbull choked out Emmanuel Sanchez in the first round at Bellator 255 to advance to the final of the Featherweight World Grand Prix, where he'll face the undefeated A.J. McKee (17-0). In the aftermath of his most recent win, Patricio Pitbull shared an insight into his future in the sport.
While speaking to Ariel Helwani from ESPN, Pitbull expressed interest in a cross-promotion event between the UFC and Bellator. The undisputed Bellator featherweight champion named UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and former champion Max Holloway as potential opponents. Talking about stepping up the game, Patricio Pitbull told Ariel Helwani-
"I believe that the next step for the sport is going to be cross-promotion. And I would love to fight against UFC champion (Alexander) Volkanovski or Max Holloway, who is the best. I think it’s the next step."
Freire added, however, that such an event might not happen in the near future since he believes the UFC is scared.Speaking of cross-promotion challenges, the 33-year-old said-
"I remember when PRIDE was the best organization, and UFC tried to do some cross-promotion. And now they don't have the balls to do it again because they know I am the best fighter. That's it."
Patricio Pitbull is confident of winning his upcoming fight against A.J. McKee and is willing to bet the one million dollar prize money on a bout against a UFC fighter. Pitbull's coach, Eric Albarracin, shares his confidence. He told Ariel Helwani-
"The million dollar bet. He’s willing to bet that million dollars that he is gonna win when we beat A.J. McKee against Dana White betting on his guys, with his 145, 155 (lbs). A million dollars."
Patricio Pitbull has always wanted to fight Max Holloway
Patricio Freire has always been appreciative of one UFC fighter, Max 'Blessed' Holloway. In an earlier interview with MMA Junkie, Pitbull said-
"The future belongs to God. We’ll see what’s next. Maybe Max Holloway gets tired of making pennies in the UFC and comes to Bellator so we can make a huge stadium show in Hawaii. We could see a change from the top guys from the UFC coming to Bellator.”